Central arterial stiffness is positively associated with parent‐reported inactivity and systolic blood pressure in children

Abstract

Carotid‐femoral arterial pulse wave velocity (central PWV), “an index of central arterial stiffness”, has become a recognized physiologic measure of vascular pathology. Central PWV is gaining acceptance as an indicator of overall atherosclerotic disease and shows potential as a screening tool for atherosclerotic disease in hypertensive adults. There is evidence that atherosclerotic disease begins in childhood, however, the mechanism is poorly understood. An association between fitness and central PWV has been reported in children. This pilot study explores the association between inactivity and central PWV in children. Central arterial stiffness of thirteen subjects, ages 8–13 years, was measured by carotid‐femoral PWV. Parents of the subjects reported the child's inactivity behavior on a typical day. Central PWV was found to correlate with inactivity (correlation coefficient=.656, p<0.05) and was also found to correlate with systolic blood pressure (correlation coefficient=0.667, p<0.02). These data indicate that inactivity may be a strong predictor of central arterial stiffness in children.Funding Source: University of Texas at Austin